Immortal Bodies: Preserving Connections Through Objects and Rituals
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Date
2023-04-27
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Authors
Hesson, Nicholas
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Publisher
East Carolina University
Abstract
The human body is often treated as a temple, where even after death the treatment of the physical body displays its value and identity. Using inspiration from reliquaries, burials, and mourning jewelry, the objects that I create become a pathway to history as well as a manifestation of people's spirits. I create enameled urns that personify different characteristics of people by using color, form, and shape to convey the personality of whomever it would hold. In doing so I explore modern societal values surrounding death and the various mourning practices that those values encompass. The visual language I use to explore the abstract forms in my work is inspired by my long-held fascination with anatomical illustrations and human anatomy. I utilize traditional metal forming techniques and digital fabrication processes to produce these objects. The various methods serve to create a diverse lexicon of forms that would be impossible to create otherwise. I develop the surface of each object using vitreous enamel and patina to create a color, pattern, and imagery. Great care, intent, and labor is put into each vessel to make them unique and create a deep and meaningful connection between vessel and viewer.